“We could just add a new category for Spark?”

On the way into our studio today, I noticed that Copeland Park’s signage has been updated. And now Spark appears on the residents’ board, under a new category: Social Impact. 

I paused. And took a photo. Because when we were considering this space for our work, I wasn’t sure we belonged here.

Before there was a category

We weren’t a studio in the usual sense. Not artists, not designers, not creatives or architects. There wasn’t a category on the wall that seemed to fit us.

Around the same time, I met Michael through the Southwark Supplier Readiness Programme. He’s an architect and his work is breathtaking. In one conversation, he shared something that stayed with me: we have about three seconds to make an impression, to decide whether something is for us. Do we lean in? Do we turn away?

That was exactly how Copeland Park felt at first. I wanted to lean in. I wanted this to be a new home for Spark, a creative place full of interesting conversations and community connections. But I didn’t know how we would slot in. There didn’t seem to be a place for us on the residents’ board. 

Leaning in

Eventually, I plucked up the courage to go and talk to the management team. I shared a little about our work and ambitions, half-expecting a polite no, whether this could even be possible.

Their response surprised me. 

“Your work sounds fascinating,” they said. “We could just create a new category for you.”

We applied and, after some time, the right studio came up for us. We moved in October and haven’t looked back. The space has become a blank canvas and the community around us has been kind, warm and welcoming.

What happened next

In December, we took part in the Open Studios. I felt a familiar flicker of uncertainty, “is this for us? Would anyone actually want to come and see our space?”

It turns out they did. Over a cold, rainy weekend, we had dozens of interesting conversations with new collaborators, potential partners, supporters and curious people who both give and receive public services.

The idea of rekindling humanity in public services resonated.

Seeing Spark’s name on the board today reminded me how much can change when you allow yourself to lean in, even before you’re sure there’s a category you belong to.

Sometimes there’s a sign that says you’re not welcome here.

And sometimes the category gets created along the way.  

And sometimes, others find their way into that new category too.

Thinking Out Loud is where I share short pieces of thinking from the middle of the work. Ideas, questions and lived experiences, shared while they’re still forming.